Foolproof security in place, ahead of PSL final in Lahore

LAHORE: Ahead of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final in Lahore between Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi on Sunday, the security around Gaddafi Stadium has been beefed up with thousands of security personnel being deployed to stand guard as cricket returns to the heart of Pakistan.

The stadium with a capacity of 27,000 spectators is going to be brimming with fans. To maintain foolproof security containers and check posts have been set up around the venue while a 25-bed hospital has been established at the stadium and another 7-bed set up at a local hotel in the vicinity.

With cricket returning to Pakistan after a long hiatus, renovations, repairs have been taking place in full swing at the stadium. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decorated the building with life-size posters of several cricket greats for the eventful day.

"We have carried out minor repair and renovation works in different sections of the stadium, and with the completion of the task, the stadium has got a new look," said a PCB official on Friday.

Khalid Mehmood, a former PCB chairman, in an interview to AFP said the match is the first step in the long process of rehabilitating Pakistan as a venue for international cricket.

"Either we should have cancelled the match, shut down the schools and everything and been scared of terrorists, or we should stand against this terrorism," he said.